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  We're Traveling Mamas sharing our adventures with the world. We offer tips on great (and not so great) places to visit with children and how to have the best family vacations -- but it's not all about the kids, of course! Romantic escapes, girlfriend getaways, and solo trips are also important to us. Plus, we cover industry news and review travel gear, and we love to give things away!

  
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Top 5 Air Travel Tips for Surviving Airport Nightmares

Reader’s Digest is one of those ubiquitous magazines found at every supermarket checkout line across America. So, who among us hasn’t flipped through it while waiting to buy our groceries? I do; it’s either that or some soap opera magazine, the choice is clear. No offense to the soaps!  The July issue has listed some tips forgetting through the horror of airport summer travel.

This issue really caught my eye.  For frequent flyers, and frequently unhappy flyers (the two are pretty much mutually inclusive these days), mentally surviving the plane trip is often the big hurdle before a family trip can really begin. I picked my Top 5 favorite air travel tips, out of the 18 Reader’s Digest tips.

Top 5 Air Travel Tips, for Surviving Airport Nightmares

1. Fly early in the day: There’s a domino effect, so one late takeoff impacts the next, etc.
2. Leave a day early if you can: This air travel tip is most pertinent to special event trips like weddings.
3. Sign up for the registered traveler program: Travelers that pass a voluntary background check (nothing too invasive here!) can use a special lane to get through the airport security line at around 20 airports, including big hubs like San Francisco, Denver, Orlando, and Oakland.
4. Make a call: If you get to the gate and the airline employee tells you you’ve lost your seat, call the Coalition for an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights at (877)359-3776. Unless the plane is truly about to take off, often a seat will “magically” become available (tell the airline employee that you made the call).
5. You’re a passenger, not a prisoner: Understand your options. If you’re stuck on the tarmac for hours – and this has happened to me, talk about a nightmare – you can circulate a petition demanding to be let off the plane. An airline cannot hold you against your will unless there’s a safety reason. If nothing happens, call the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights (same number as above) and they can help you get in touch with the media.

Thank you, Reader’s Digest, for reminding us about the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights. It only takes one horrible flight experience to almost ruin a family vacation, and to gain converts to the cause.

Road Trip Tips Roundup

Here are links to some of our road trip tips to help make that family road trip a bit easier on everyone. Be sure to visit GetRoadReady.com, a Prestone-sponsored site that has tips for getting your car ready and offers free road trip games to print out. You can also visit GasBuddy.com to search for the best gas prices in your area.

DesertMama gives us six tips to surviving a road trip. MusdlideMama lets us know about toys for road trips and how to survive gift shops while on vacation. MountainMama answered one reader’s question about how to get baby supplies delivered to your destination and where to buy a personalized travel map to log your family’s road trips through the years. Are you having trouble financing your vacation? In a past contest I shared some of my family’s secrets to finding money for travel and also our tips for taking a vacation on a serious budget.

Remember that you can always use our search button on the righthand side. We’ve tried to make things easier for you, whether dreaming about travel or actually planning a family vacation. Check out our Approved section where we list only the products will REALLY like. Please feel free to add your own road trip tips in the comment section and check back daily at TravelingMamas.com for more travel information.

Have a safe road trip!

Family Fun: Surf City USA

Greetings from Surf City USA! This is the first stop of our West Coast Swing Road Trip. I’m sitting on my 11th floor balcony directly overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. It’s still early as I write this so the beach is deserted except for the occasional treasure hunter and hardcore surfer. By noon the town will be buzzing with surfboards, beach cruisers, motorcycles and seagulls scooping down from the sky. Until then, I’m enjoying a hot cup of coffee, a cool ocean breeze and quietness as the little ones sleep in.

Our first day here in Huntington Beach we checked into the hotel, lathered up the kids with sunscreen and crossed the street to the beach. The kids had a great time digging in the sand, splashing in the water and seeing their first sand crab. For dinner we cruised over to Fred’s Mexican Cafe, a hopping place where beach-goers, still dressed in beachwear, go for happy hour and a bite to eat. It’s a total beach joint with stretched out beer bottles lining the glass windows overhead and a tiki huts covering the inside and outside bars. They have a kids’ menu – so we were very happy.

The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast at the Sugar Shack then returned to the beach for one of the highlights of the trip, a ride in a two-person surrey cycle from Zack’s – a shop that rents pretty much any beach item under the sun. DesertDaddy and I pedaled (although, I will admit he did most of the work being the avid cyclist he is). The kids sat in the basket in the front and had a blast waving at other kids and watching a variety of kites fly overhead.

Later in the day the MudslideFamily came down to meet us for lunch, pretzel making and root beer at Brewbakers and an afternoon of jumping waves (stay tuned for a photo of us and our little travelers).

For dinner DesertDaddy and I took the tots on a walk on the pier at sunset, stopping to watch surfers and fishers. We ate dinner at Ruby’s, a 40’s style diner with terrific ocean and coastline views. Our server recommended the Super Burger (burger with Swiss cheese and avocado on a Parmesan bread). We took him up on it and were we glad we did – delish! The kids had mac ‘n cheese and grilled cheese and they ended their meal with yummy chocolate and strawberry shakes topped with whipped cream and a cherries.

When we arrived back to the Hilton my son said, “Mommy all of the people at this hotel sure have been nice to us.” And they had. My little guy and gal sure felt like royalty during our stay. The Hilton Waterfront gives children guests darling stuffed whales and the staff was so friendly and helpful. Even the housekeepers stopped to listen to their stories about getting mouths full of salty water during their ocean play and offered them the chocolates that are normally reserved for evening turn-down service each evening.

We’re leaving today and while I’m excited to see what the rest of the adventure holds I’m really sad to go. You can’t buy memories like these.

Best Adventure Outfitter for Families in Santa Fe

Outdoor activities abound in the wilderness surrounding Santa Fe, New Mexico. Rather than “do it yourselves” and book experiences, such as fly fishing, whitewater rafting and horseback riding, through a number of different outfitters, I suggest you have Santa Fe Mountain Adventures make all the arrangements for you.

This “adventure concierge” typically books various vacation experiences for families over a number of days. Mornings are typically reserved for outdoor excursions, such as the signature “Mountain Treasure Hunt,” a guided hike and geo-caching, where families use GPS devices to search for hidden shoeboxes (see photo) filled with trinkets for the kids. My family did this last year, and we are still talking about it!

Afternoon activities usually have an arts or cultural bent—such as cooking classes and historical walking tours. Then there’s family yoga, guided llama treks and nighttime star gazing with an expert astronomer. We chose to paint pottery together, and brought home two hand-painted wine glasses, a jet bank and a star jewelry box.

All the transportation, gratuities, snacks and guides are included in a day’s program with Santa Fe Mountain Adventures (plus nice perks like water bottles and a subscription to Outside). A one-day enrollment in the program with two activities is $135 per adult; $115 per child age 6 to 12. But rates decrease the more activity days you book. And if you’re staying at a downtown partner hotel—La Posada or the Inn and Spa at Loretto—you get preferential pricing as well.

WALL-E and Thoughts on Responsible Travel Plans

If you have kids, you know about WALL-E. And if you don’t, here’s a primer: It’s the latest movie made by Pixar, the folks who brought us Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and many other CGI movies that are great fun for children and adults alike. WALL-E is no exception. Get ready to stand in line, because every child in the United States is going to be begging to see this one. And hold onto your wallet, because the market is surely about to be flooded with adorable WALL-E tie-in products and toys. Isn’t that always the way?

But one thing you don’t have to do is brace yourself for an agonizing 2 hours of kiddie fare. WALL-E is a terrific movie, and the creative geniuses at Pixar have skillfully balanced a child-friendly story (with more screen time for cute robots than people) with an enjoyable, futuristic tale of how said robots help humans (living in outer space) reclaim their own lives. The underlying theme of the environmental degradation of our planet is, amazingly, not depressing: This is above all an optimistic film, with hopeful messages about the resourcefulness of “the little guy” (or ‘bot) and the importance of taking care of planet Earth.

That being said, there are real ecological problems on our planet here and now. We don’t have to go 700 years into the future to see entire cities of garbage and human refuse. How can the Traveling Mamas, fervent proponents of the joy of travel, promote an activity with such a huge carbon footprint? Easy – because we also reduce our carbon debt in various ways, and to varying degrees. And you can too.

Tips and Resources to Travel Green

Airplane travel is certainly the fastest way to get to distant vacation destinations; travelers can buy carbon offsets to support sustainable travel practices. I like Sustainable Travel International as a resource for purchasing carbon offsets that invest in clean energy and help offset CO2 emissions.

Here’s a tip from a great resource, the Rainforest Alliance: “Have a fun vacation and make a difference.” The Eco-Index Sustainable Tourism site is a listing service for approved tourism businesses that strive to conserve natural resources in travel destinations (and improve the livelihoods of local cultures nearby). The Eco-Index is also recommended by Traveling Mamas as a reliable resource.

The Rainforest Alliance itself is in itself a trustworthy resource for eco-travel. The Go Green SmartGuide to Sustainable Travel is recognized as a great source for information regarding hotels, restaurants, and other elements of the travel industry that help promote or operate with environmentally sound business practices.

If you’re taking a car trip this year (and with air fare the way it is these days, who can blame you?), consider switching your auto club membership to Better World Club. It’s a “green” alternative to AAA.

There are many ways to be kind to the Earth and still travel around it. The future represented in WALL-E is avoidable, after all. We don’t have to live in such disposable ways, in such a consumerist culture – the choice is ours. We can see the world and help keep it healthy.

Winning Wednesday: William Joseph CD

Italy, Hawaii, Australia, Alaska, Ireland, Paris, and tropical getaways seem to be tops on everyone’s list of dream places to visit.

The last time someone mentioned to me that they dreamed of going to Australia, I encouraged her to go. It happened to be my cousin, who came back after a two week tour to sell her condo and car and ended up moving to Surfer’s Paradise.

We never know what path in life we may travel, but keep those dreams and actually plan to see these places. Some of you want to see family, others just want the excitement of seeing a new place. I know first-hand how awesome it can be to work towards the goal of a destination and the emotions that overwhelm you once you get there.

Congrats to the following winners of William Joseph’s latest CD, Beyond. We hope you will travel to your dream destinations in the near future. Be sure to take your new CD with you on your journeys.

Sharon Fairclough dreams of Paris. Bobv wants to see Tahiti. Flora Presley fantasizes about Greece and has a closer dream of Mount Rushmore. Debf would like to visit Australia (say hi to my cousin for me) and Andrea Bialy has a desire to see Lebanon.

Congrats to all our dreamers. Check your email addresses so I can get a mailing address to send your prize. Remember that dreams can become a reality. Be sure to check out some of Traveling Mamas tips for saving. Instead of saying you would like to go somewhere, change your thinking and say you WILL go to that special place.

Space Camp

Raise your hand if you wanted to go to Space Camp when you were a kid. Me! Me!

I used to spend every childhood summer in Huntsville, AL, the home of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. I would beg my grandfather to take me to the Space Center so I could buy astronaut food, bring it back to his house, and suck on the freeze dried sponges of chocolate ice cream or strawberry sandpaper until the inside of my mouth was on the verge of bleeding. Then one day, this awesome movie called Space Camp was out at the theaters. This classic movie became the dream of kids for decades. Everyone wanted (and still wants) to go to Space Camp. Remember Max and Jinks?

Well, guess what? You can go to Space Camp. Your kid can go to Space Camp (mine did). And, you can even go to Space Camp WITH your kid. How cool is that?

The Space Camp experience isn’t cheap, but scholarships are available for a select few. However, getting the chance to live a childhood dream and inspire your own child is a priceless experience that your child will always remember.

I wish I could say that I had that parent/child experience, because I know I still want to go to Space Camp. Maybe I will keep that on my list of things to do, but after years and years of planning (and a little help from the grandparents) we were able to send our son to Space Camp for a week. He had the best time and learned so much. It was worth every penny.

Even if you don’t get a chance to stay for Space Camp, all families can enjoy a day exploring the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL or any of NASA’s other space centers. You never know when you might have the chance to see something that will be inspiring to your child’s life.

The Best Luau in Hawaii Isn’t a Luau After All

Luaus are a staple of Hawaiian vacations. Many hotels and resorts, on most parts of the major islands, either have on-site luaus or provide shuttle service to them. Several boast of having the best luau in Hawaii. And, frankly, many luaus are interchangeable. Sure, one has more fire-twirling than another, say, but the buffet dinners (always with poi, another staple of a Hawaiian vacation) and shows can seem pretty much the same.

And then there’s The Gathering of Kings, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Part mystical creation-story and history lesson, part Cirque de Soleil, The Gathering of Kings is to a luau the way toro sushi is to a tuna melt. I’ve been to a few luaus in my time, and believe me; this is more a theatrical dance performance, and truly the one to see. The show is based at the Fairmont Orchid, a top luxury resort on the Kohala Coast, and tourists come from all over the island to see it. The Gathering of Kings tells a story through song and dance – the story of Polynesian travels and how they settled on islands such as Tahiti and (of course) Hawaii. Each island’s traditional dances are performed, and it’s really a magical – and enlightening – experience to watch the joyous, flirtatious Samoan dances and the warrior-like dances of the Maori. The Polynesian cultures adapted to each Pacific island. Each island, in turn, was irrevocably influenced by the Polynesian culture.

The dancers perform skillfully with, alternately, wonderful grace and strength. I found the leads to be incredibly charismatic throughout, and I’m so happy I was fortunate enough to see The Gathering of Kings on the Big Island of Hawaii. At the end of the performance, the four kings representing the settled islands stand together on stage, and this show of unity is more than a little moving.

It’s no surprise that the soundtrack from this best (non) luau in Hawaii won a Hawaii Music Award (like a Hawaiian Grammy). The music perfectly captured the magic of the creation story and mystic Polynesian travels, with each island’s music integrated into the flow. Listening to the music now, as I am, not only brings back memories of an enriching evening. It also stirs thoughts of how everyone is descended from travelers and settlers – and that the unity represented at the end of The Gathering of Kings is a concept we can all learn from.

Tug-of-War across the Mississippi River

As travel writers, the Mamas and I receive dozens of press releases in our email in-box weekly. We typically don’t pass them on willy-nilly to you, since we prefer to draw from and write about our own personal experiences in various destinations — from eating well in New Orleans to hiking in Hawaii, and from sky diving in Florida to drinking bourbon in Kentucky.

But this event just cracked me up and I wanted to share. The 22nd annual Great River Tug Fest is a humongous tug-of-war, using a 2,400-foot, 680-pound rope, across the Mississippi River between the towns of Port Byron, Illinois, and LeClaire, Iowa. It takes place from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, August 9

Local organizations form 11 different teams on each side; they raise money for area nonprofits, so the event benefits the Boys & Girls Scouts, Chambers of Commerce, Lions Clubs, Parks & Rec Departments and more.

Each team tries to gain advantage as they tug on a rope stretched across the Mississippi River between LeClaire and Port Byron. The side with the most winning teams takes home the rotating trophy for that year. Currently, Illinois is in the lead with 11 wins over Iowa’s 10 wins.

While the actual tug-of-war is the highlight of the weekend, other events include Friday night fireworks, carnival rides, live entertainment, a huge parade and a 5k run/walk, kids’ tug-of-war and more. Admission to the LeClaire and Port Byron Festivals are $2 for adults and children under 12 are free.

For more information, visit the official Tug Fest website.

Weekend Road Trip: The Arizona Salsa Trail

A few weeks back my husband and I decided to load up the tots and take a little jaunt over to Safford, Arizona and explore an Arizona culinary attraction: The Salsa Trail. The “trail” runs along Southeast Arizona’s Old West Highway and consists of thirteen restaurants, a tortilla factory and a chile factory.

When we pulled into the parking lot of the Best Western Desert Inn, our home for the night, the parking lot was filled with a rainbow of polished classic cars. The owners were walking around in hats and t-shirts that said, “I Survived the Salsa Trail”. It was the Classy Car Club from Wickenburg, Arizona in town for the weekend cruising the Salsa Trail.

Not only were the car club members friendly, the entire town welcomed us with open arms. Locals waved as we drove by, while a smile and warm hello became the norm every time we passed someone on the street. Even when I tried to push the double stroller up a curb and my children almost ended up splattered on the concrete locals ran up to help.

Over two days we hit five of the restaurants (Safford is home to eight of the restaurants, tortilla factory, and the chili farm) and believe me when I say this is an experience where polishing off an entire bowl of chips is not recommended. Our first stop was at the Salsa Fiesta in Wilcox. We ate a full lunch there, which was quite good by the way, but from then on we simply tasted the variety of salsas with a few chips. Each restaurant’s salsa was so unique and tasted so fresh.

After we all had our fill, we took the kids back to the Best Western to splash in the pool and watch a stunning Arizona sunset. The next day we hit the local coffee shop on Main Street called A Step Back in Time where barista Mikayla made us a couple of great cups of java.

Next, we crossed the street for breakfast at El Coronado Family Restaurant where it seemed everyone knew each other by name. The kids indulged in yummy pancakes while Jeff and I had some tasty breakfast burritos, with their special salsa of course. Delish! I can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the Salsa Trail restaurants.

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